Bedtime Story
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: All Laxus wants to do is read his daughter to sleep. Is that too much to ask? Honestly? - One-shot.


Bedtime Story

At first, it was really endearing to the Thunder Legion. Honest, it was. They'd seen Laxus happy before. Like when he was kicking butt at something. They'd seen the man proud before. Usually of himself. They'd seen the slayer in love before. With Mirajane Strauss. They'd even seen him cry openly over something. Like on him and Mirajane's wedding day.

Never, however, had they seen him as he was then.

It was…nameless, honestly. Else they just weren't enough of wordsmiths to come up with a name for it. Unsettling was what Freed would call it. Peculiar would be Ever's choice. Just plain wrong was all Bickslow could come up with.

But whatever it was, it didn't seem to be going anywhere fast. No, the Thunder God was caught, hook, line, and sinker.

And by a baby, no less.

It was aggravating, really, as time wore on and Laxus became increasingly interested only in his daughter. A point came where he didn't even want to hang out with them any longer. Nope. He just wanted to spend all the time that he wasn't out on a job either training or at home with his baby. And even when he was training, it wasn't with them. Or even out of his house. Nope. Laxus would rather lift the weights he had at home or just do any other basic training that he could around the house.

You know, in case the baby needed him.

Because there was just such a high chance of that. You know, considering Mirajane and Lisanna were usually at the house to care for her. But oh no, she might need Laxus. Maybe.

And who could take a chance with something like that?

Not Laxus. Nope. He pledged to be as close to the baby as he could. And sure, sometimes he had to take far off jobs, but he was never _too_ far from her.

That was made very clear to the Thunder Legion on the first night of one of their jobs. They were camping out in the woods on the way to some far off city and, after Freed fixed them dinner, they all settled out in their sleeping bags to rest for a few hours. Bickslow was mumbling things to his little dolls, who were muttering things right back, as Ever inspected the surrounding area for any bugs (honestly, she hated camping out and just did not understand why they couldn't have gone to the nearest town to find a hotel) and Freed settled out for a sleepless night, as all were when he got to rest so close to his idol.

Laxus, however, only sat there atop his sleeping bag instead of getting in it as he rummaged around through his duffle bag.

"What are ya doin', boss?" Bickslow asked, but the man didn't answer. At his words, however, the other two took notice of the slayer's actions. "Lost somethin'?"

Nope. As he pulled a communication lacrima from his sack, he sat it in front of him before moving to pull something else out. It looked like…a book.

It took Laxus a moment or two to get the person that he wanted on the lacrima, but the second they all heard Mirajane's voice, they all rolled their eyes. He did that from time to time, after all. Checked in with her through the thing. Especially when she had been pregnant.

"Hi, dragon," she sang as he came into view on her end. "Lana's all ready."

"Can't be too ready," Laxus grumbled. "Since I have to use this stupid book."

"Laxus, I told you, I don't like when you tell her your own stories. They're always too gory."

"They are not!"

"Laxus-"

"Alright, alright." The man shifted on his sleeping bag before opening the oversized book in his lap. "Let's see here, Lana. Uh, once upon a time-"

"Is boss readin' to the kid over the lacrima?" Bickslow sat up at that and glanced at Freed who looked just as shocked as he did. "Surely-"

"Shhh," Ever hissed. "He'll hear you."

Freed only stared over at the lacrima where he could see Mirajane, sitting in bed it looked like, with her daughter in her lap. The baby seemed about ready to drift off as it was honestly.

Laxus, however, just ignored them as he read from the children's book. It was thoroughly boring. Lana and he had a much better time when Mirajane wasn't around and he got to tell her about all his adventures and travels (leaving out, of course, the overly juicy bits from before he got with the demon, filled with women galore). They just got one another, he and his baby did. Sure, she was only seven months old, but she had to be the person most in touch with his soul ever.

"Mirajane!" came a call from the lacrima about halfway through the story. "Are you in bed yet? Because I need help with-"

"Lisanna?" Bickslow was scrambling then, out of his sleeping back and over to the boss's. "Lissy! It's me! Bickslow!"

"Go away," Laxus growled, shoving the man off his sleeping bag. "And Lisanna, shut up! I'm reading to my baby!"

"Now it sounds more like you're yelling at her," Ever remarked.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Laxus." And suddenly, Lisanna's face was leering at them through the lacrima as she made it into her sister's room. "And are you that dependant on Mirajane that you have to talk to her every night? That's lame."

"That's not lame! You're lame."

"Good one."

"Besides," the slayer kept up. "I'm not talking to Mirajane. I'm talking to my baby."

"Gee, thanks Lax," Mira remarked with a frown.

"You know what I mean."

"Apparently not."

"Hi, Lissy!" Bickslow was still trying to get seen on the lacrima. "Me and the babies miss you!"

"Awe." The younger Strauss sibling was touched then, it appeared. "I miss you too."

"It's been a day," Freed pointed out. "So perhaps we could all-"

"Are you guys talking to Laxus?" Suddenly, there was another person in Mirajane's bedroom. At the sound of the other man's voice, Laxus frowned.

"What," he hissed, "is your brother doing there, Mirajane?"

"Well," she said slowly as the muscular man in question came to look down at the lacrima also. "You're gone and Ever's gone and he gets lonely and I get lonely-"

"Lonely? I gave you a baby and two dogs to play with! Not to mention your sister. How could you get lonely?"

"Well, you know."

"No, Mira, I don't know."

"I just-"

"Elf is there?' Suddenly, Ever was coming across the clearing. "Elfman! Did you remember to take out the trash?"

"Was that today?"

"Yes, Elfman, it was today. And why aren't you at home? I have that package coming tomorrow that-"

"I'll be there for that."

"Oh, whatever."

"I will! Why don't you trust me?"

"Because I trusted you to put out the trash-"

"Clearly not," Freed intervened. "Else you wouldn't have questioned him on it."

"Lissy," Bickslow tried again, shoving Ever away. "I'm miserable without ya, kid! Me and the babies just don't know how to function."

"Lissy," the dolls agreed. "Function."

"Awe."

"You can't function when you are with her either, so I really don't get what the point of saying that is," Freed remarked to which he got a glare from the seith.

"Oh, Freed, guess what?" Mirajane shifted Lana in her lap then, speaking louder to be heard by the letter mage. "I finally got around to reading that book you gave me."

"Really?" He was coming over as well then. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Well, mostly. I mean, I was a little iffy on the romantic interest-"

"Oh, no, Mira, you just have to see it from another point of view. I mean, sure, he was a tad abrasive, but-"

"Excuse me," Evergreen complained, "but Elf and I are having a conversation."

"Yeah! A manly one!"

"You be quiet and get back home to wait for my package."

"Ever, it won't be there until morning!"

"And?"

"Actually," Lisanna interrupted. "Bickslow and I were hijacking this lacrima first, so-"

"That's right!" The seith was quick to nod. "Me and Lissy gotta lotta things to discuss."

"Discuss," his dolls agreed. "Discuss."

"Freed and I are talking about something important here, guys," Mirajane said. "And it's sort of my lacrima, so-"

"No, Mira, that's not fair."

"Yeah! Ever and I have to-"

"Lissy! Don't let them phase me out!"

"All of you be quiet. And Elf, go home! I need that package."

"Mirajane and I are trying to speak here, so if you would all kindly-"

"Alright!" Laxus couldn't take it anymore, voice hitting a sharp octave as his eyes flared. That got them all quit. "Shut the hell up! All of you! I'm tryin' to read my baby to sleep and- Oh, Lana, no."

Oh, Laxus, yes. At the sound of his screaming, it was the only option in the baby's wheelhouse as she began to sob loudly. Mirajane immediately took to comforting her as Elfman only frowned.

"Crying's not manly," Elfman mumbled as Lisanna only glared through the lacrima at Laxus.

"Nice going."

"Me? You idiots were the ones-"

"Lax, I gotta go," Mirajane was saying then as the baby sobbed inconsolably from her mother's arms. "I'll see you-"

"No, wait!" He couldn't let her go. Not until Lana calmed down. "Just, uh-"

"Gee, boss," Bickslow mumbled, throwing his hands over his ears as the baby wailed on. "Even I've never made my babies cry like this."

"Uh, Bicks?" Lisanna called out to him. "You might-"

"And he hit him," Freed sighed as the slayer hardly even moved. Bickslow was that close to him. After that, the seith just laid on the ground, where he fell, and didn't get up or speak again.

It was for the better, after all.

"Is he dead?" Lisanna asked in concerned.

Laxus didn't answer and the other two were too fearful of being next to speak up.

"Hold her close to the lacrima, Mirajane," he said simply. "So she can hear me."

"I don't think hearing you has been a problem," she sighed.

"I just want her to hear me," Laxus said before lowering his tone. "Lana. It's okay, Lana. These idiots are all, well, idiots, but they didn't mean any harm."

"We," Elfman complained, "didn't cause this. You did."

"You're lucky, Elfboy, that I'm here and not-"

"Uh, Laxus?" Mirajane wasn't done with him. "Are you fixing this or-"

Right. They kept distracting him from his real goal; calming down Lana.

"I'm sorry," he said then, though it was obvious that he was speaking to his daughter and not any of them. As far as he was concerned, he wouldn't be speaking to any of them again for a long time. "Lana. It's okay. You don't gotta cry. Here. You wanna finish the story? Huh?"

And with that, he just opened the book back up and began reading from it again. Sure, maybe it was Mirajane's snuggling or comforting that calmed the baby down, but when she stopped whining a minute later, Laxus was nearly certain it was his bedtime story. Which, although it wasn't one of his very own, told a way only he could, was pretty dang good if he could say so himself. He was excellent at most things and reading fell into that category. He had different voices for all of the characters, he knew how to enunciate and damn if he wasn't on the edge of his own seat, he was that good.

It was just a given fact. Laxus was a storyteller. Why should that be shocking?

When he got to the last page, Bickslow had managed to peel himself off the ground and slink back over to his sleeping bag, Ever and Freed doing the same with their own. Clearly, Laxus was not someone to be played with that day. Or any day.

"Is she sleeping?" Laxus asked softly, staring hard at the lacrima. Lisanna and Elfman, seeing the fun die down, had disappeared from the room seemingly, which he was glad for. "Demon?"

"Just about," she whispered back before shifting the child to one arm. "I'm gonna go put her to bed, okay?"

Even though he didn't want to, Laxus nodded. "Okay."

"Love you."

"Love you too," he grumbled. "And you too, Lana."

Then the lacrima went blank and he was alone. Err, he was left with the Thunder Legion, but basically alone, as none of them were brave enough to speak to him again. Not after the trouble that they'd had with it before. Especially Bickslow who was still sulking and refused to even look over at the man. He'd hit him and that wasn't fair.

With his daughter and wife gone, Laxus only sat there for a moment, thinking, before moving to put his lacrima and the children's book back in his sack. It was time for bed. Finally.

"Night," he got out as he snuggled down into his sleeping bag. "Guys."

Nothing.

"I said," he grumbled. "Goodnight, guys."

Still, nothing.

"What," he growled, "is your problem? I said goodnight. It is only right of you all-"

"Elfman deserves some respect."

"And I really wanted to talk to Mirajane about that book."

He groaned that time. "Fine. I'm sorry, Ever, that your boyfriend is an idiot and I hate him. And Freed, you and Mira can talk about that stupid book when you get home. There. All better?"

"Not really. I mean, you-"

"We could, but we were planning on talking about it just then-"

"Great." Laxus shut his eyes. "Now goodnight."

"Night," Freed offered up slowly, settling into his own sleeping bag. No sense in fighting with the man, after all. "Remember, we will rise before sunrise."

"Right," Ever sighed as she still took to glancing around for any bugs. "Sunrise. G'night, Laxus."

Then he just laid there. That was two. Not three.

"Bickslow-"

"You hit me."

"Are you serious?"

"You did! You hit me and it wasn't fair and it was a real sucker move and I-"

"I'm sorry."

That got them all to shut up too. Huh.

"I am," the man said. "I shouldn't have done that. Okay?"

Bickslow blinked. The boss? Apologizing? When he was clearly wrong? Unheard of.

"Okay, boss," he said slowly. "I'm sorry too. I…I know that you wanted some time with your baby. I get that. I am a single father of five after all. We're practically in the same sit-"

"We're all sorry, Laxus," Freed was quick to speak up, more to keep Bickslow from going down that meaningless road again. "Bickslow is right. For once."

"For once? You jerk, I-"

"Just once," Ever agreed. "And I'm sorry too, Laxus. We know that having a baby has…changed you."

"Changed me?" Snort. "What are you talking about? I haven't changed! I'm the same as-"

"Not really, boss," Bickslow told him with a shake of his head. "You've totally changed."

"I have not!"

"What other time would you have talked to Mirajane on the lacrima and not even spent the majority of it hitting on her and making disgusting insinuations to what you want to do to her?" Ever gave him a look. "Honestly?"

"And not even creative ones," Bickslow added. "Even I can figure them out."

"Which definitely says something," Freed agreed.

Laxus only grunted. "I haven't changed."

"Okay, boss."

"Whatever you say."

"Of course, Laxus."

"I haven't!" In a huff then, he turned onto his stomach and buried his head into his sleeping bag. "Just go to sleep."

The Thunder Legion shared some soft snickers, but Laxus only laid there.

Changed? Him? No way. He just liked to be close to his baby. That was all.

Was that too much to ask?

For the Thunder God Tribe and their inability to give him any privacy? Probably. But for all the teasing and surprise that they had from his new behavior, they had to admit, it was kinda sweet too.

Annoying at times, but sweet. And there was always something to be said for that.


End file.
